zigzagjoe

Please note, this uses Kindle OS V2 and as such does not get V3 features such as WebKit based browser - that means, one that is actually usable. *

No technical reason amazon couldn't have backported K3 OS to the DX and Kindle 2 - Kindle 3 is the exact same hardware with a hair more RAM and flash. Bit of a Santa repudiator move, really.

* a third party has backported the K3 OS, but it requires a working K3 to actually install legally (or something like that). Otherwise, best to my knowledge, all functionality is intact in such an install.

clcaruthers

So you're telling me that this is FREE worldwide 3G??? Seems too good to be true. I'm about to move to Sierra Leone for work for about a year and I have to pay $2.49 a minute to make calls to the US and even more ridiculous data rates, but I can buy this and download this for free???? Just bought a Galaxy tab a few weeks ago just to have while I was overseas, but this seems like this its too good to be true! Someone tell me that this will work in BFE Africa and Europe!!!

Maximafr3ak

zigzagjoe

People comparing this to the kindle fire are completely missing the point.

This screen is much bigger to boot, even more importantly, it's E-ink.

What that means:

* Absurd battery life - around a week of very heavy use, to weeks for more casual use.

* Slow screen redraw (moot when reading books).

* No eyestrain.

* Unlimited viewing angle - it looks like superb quality newsprint.

In other words, the E-ink screen is what makes the kindle worth using as a text reading device. The "Kindle" Fire is an android tablet, complete with LCD et al. Good for rich media, but not a #1 choice for book reading.

katfisch

This could be the first Woot in history, purchased only by citizens of NoDak!
Not to say it's not a great deal or nothin...
If I dint already have a Kindle and an iPad with Kindle app, I'd be all over this.

lpsession

eepeep

I received the Kindle DX as a gift, and quite frankly, I don't use it too often. The three main reasons for my non-use of it are:
1) The Kindle DX is just too big to hold for any extended reading session.
2) The next page buttons are all on the right hand side of the device.
3) If you ever plan on putting it inside a Kindle DX folio case or cover, the thing just gets really heavy.

If any of the reasons I listed above aren't of a concern for you, then the Kindle DX is a great deal since it uses 3G to deliver books purchased (or in your Kindle Library) without any type of 3G contract or service.

As an fyi, I do use the Amazon Kindle service a lot more on my Samsung Galaxy 5.0 Media Player and on my IPad. There's just something about being able to swipe to turn pages and using something light (not heavy) in bed to read. (So if you are more of a page-swiper to turn pages, the Kindle DX is not for you..., and you should probably look into the Kindle Fire or Kindle Touch).

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side and a dark side, and binds the universe together.

calebmitchell

What? Are you serious, Woot? The crazy mannequin is named Mandy?! That's the greatest thing I've heard all day! I have a friend named Mandi (close enough) and with the exception of being a pink-haired mannequin head, that description I gave suits her perfectly I can't wait to tell her about this! She'll slap me, but it'll be worth it ;)

chelseajaccard

clcaruthers wrote:So you're telling me that this is FREE worldwide 3G??? Seems too good to be true. I'm about to move to Sierra Leone for work for about a year and I have to pay $2.49 a minute to make calls to the US and even more ridiculous data rates, but I can buy this and download this for free???? Just bought a Galaxy tab a few weeks ago just to have while I was overseas, but this seems like this its too good to be true! Someone tell me that this will work in BFE Africa and Europe!!!

Edit: Where is this 100 plus countries list?!?!

The Amazon page says it works in 100 countries worldwide... something tells me that probably does NOT include BFE Africa. However, I live in Uganda and we do have a 3G network... whether this would work here or not, I don't know. I would research before buying.

earmstro

While the large screen on the DX would seem to benefit users who rely on pdfs, it wouldn't help me. Papers in the biological sciences often have color figures, and e-ink would let me down. Give me readable fluorescent micrographs, or give me... well, something other than the DX.

achang1

mehron

@clcaruthers Keep in mind this is an e-ink reader. Browsing the net is possible, but not really practical — the web browser, after all is found in the "experimental tab" of the Kindle menus. The biggest feature is in the fact that you can browse, purchase, and download books without being tethered to a computer to do so.

That being said, you are able to browse the web anywhere and everywhere free of charge. (Works great for me when AT&T is taking a beating downtown Chicago.) I have sent two Kindles off the Poland and they work without a hitch over-the-air for over a year now. Amazon even sells adapters to work with the USB chargers so that you do not have to use a power converter to charge the device.

So no worries, I can vouch for the fact, personally, that free data anywhere actually means free data — anywhere.

johntracker

clcaruthers wrote:So you're telling me that this is FREE worldwide 3G??? Seems too good to be true. I'm about to move to Sierra Leone for work for about a year and I have to pay $2.49 a minute to make calls to the US and even more ridiculous data rates, but I can buy this and download this for free???? Just bought a Galaxy tab a few weeks ago just to have while I was overseas, but this seems like this its too good to be true! Someone tell me that this will work in BFE Africa and Europe!!!

I've used my DX to download books in Hong Kong and in the UK. I'm in Australia at the moment and downloaded a book from my archive yesterday. All the downloads are quick and free (not the books though!). I don't know about coverage in Africa however.

m3talcore

Addressing the people suggesting other models, the advantage to the DX (as I see it) is the 9.7" (246 mm) 1200 x 824 screen. If you're looking at something more detailed such as, say, a math textbook then it makes a world of difference.

For demonstration here is a page resolved at 800x600 and 1200x824. The subscript is much clearer in the latter.

Serafyna

I got this for my husband last year and he uses it daily. He's an avid reader and a programmer. He uses his Kindle DX for casual reading, to keep his "toolkit" (reference books for various code), and for new programming languages he's learning. He specifically wanted a DX for the large size - the large screen is much better for showing text books, and the e-ink is easier on the eyes for extended reading.

We both have laptops and smart phones and have no use for a tablet -- but we both have e-readers with e-ink screens. I would never consider a tablet instead of a e-reader unless you needed something that multitasks. It's all about personal preference. If you enjoy reading for a couple of hours the e-ink really is easier on the eyes the staring at a traditional computer screen.

myrlin

After 1 year of use with my Kindle DX I have the following conclusions:

1) I will never read a paperback again
2) I will never read a book from an LCD again
3) I will also purchase a smaller e-ink reader when I want something portable. The DX is meant to be in a briefcase or on your night stand. This is not something to carry around in a pocket/purse/manbag.

The processor in it makes web browsing really slow, but you don't use this for web browsing unless it is a dire emergency.

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